Hypocrisy and integrity, arrogance and humility, indifference and empathy are only a few of the many opposing poles that people often grapple with in their daily lives. Approaching these opposing poles adaptively can energize us; approaching them in ways that are maladaptive only serves to drain us of our energy and spirit! In Adaptive Tensions, poet Ron Rubin reveals the tensions that are intrinsic in these dichotomies, embracing the adaptive, while confronting the maladaptive squarely. His poems explore our relationships to self, society, parenting, love and personal experience. Rubin provides the reader with a window into one poet’s sincere effort to make the best of a world replete with inherent tensions.